Is it time to shake up your recruiting process?

In a tight labor market, it’s more important than ever for employers to understand what job seekers want when it comes to the recruiting process. Here, factors that shape whether they have a positive experience, from Ceridian’s new research report.

Danielle Ng-See-Quan

Dani is the Managing Editor, Content Marketing at Ceridian.

When was the last time you assessed the length of your overall recruiting process, or considered new or alternate interview methods? As the workplace evolves, the job interview process should, too.

With candidates in the driver’s seat, it’s more important than ever that employers consider all aspects of their talent acquisition strategy, and understand what prospective candidates are looking for.

Ceridian’s recent research report, in partnership with Hanover Research, explored exactly this, and uncovered what candidates really want from the recruiting process.

Recruiting exhaustion is a real thing

Good news – according to survey respondents, employers get the length of time required for the recruiting process “just about right.” The majority of individuals who responded (55%) said they expect a two-week recruitment time, and 52% reported that their actual recruiting experience was two weeks or less.

What’s the harm in having a lengthier recruiting process? In a landscape with unemployment at an 18-year low, candidates have the luxury of being choosy. And with a finite number of skilled people in the workforce, chances are that if you think highly of a candidate, another company will as well. If you have a long recruiting process, it’s likely that that candidate will get snapped up by another prospective employer quickly.

It’s critical to overhaul a slow and disorganized recruiting process into one that is engaging and easy for the candidate. Ceridian’s Chief People and Culture Officer Lisa Sterling suggests in the report that employers look to tech advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to automate and streamline the recruiting process and shorten timeframes.

Leverage different interview methods

When it comes to number of interviews, employers are meeting candidate preferences with one to three in-person interviews, according to the report.

However, employers are missing the mark in leveraging remote interviews. According to the report, 64% of job seekers are interested in interviewing via phone or video conference, but only 47% of respondents actually had a remote interview with a hiring manager.

In the report, Ceridian’s Sterling notes that employers should be more thoughtful and strategic about their interview process. “At every step of the way we should be interviewing to learn more about that individual. What are we learning about their productivity? Their loyalty? Their behaviors? Their capacity for longevity in the role and in the organization?” she says.

The role of skills testing is changing

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the job candidates surveyed by Ceridian report they have taken a skills test as part of a job interview process. Respondents have an overall positive view of job testing, though it’s important to note that candidates are more comfortable will skills testing than psychometric testing.

Ceridian’s Sterling points out that while skills testing is important, it shouldn’t be used as a screening mechanism, but rather as a way to understand a candidate’s proficiency.

“The more important measure lies in that person’s ability to learn. As a hiring manager, I don’t always need to know if a candidate has a skill. What I do need to know is that candidate’s ability and desire to be a continuous learner.”